Chapter 6 A New Social Order

A New Social Order When war was declared on neighboring tribes, each man dutifully put down his plow and took up arms. But the Punic Wars were long fought, and when soldiers returned home, they were unable to return to their previous lives. The first war was 23 years long As a result many farms fell in disuse and disrepair Wealthy landowners took advantage of the opportunity to expand their land They took farm land and flat land for homes

A New Social Order, continued Over the years, the number of small farms shrank drastically while the size of the estates of the wealthy grew and grew.

The Struggling Poor Roman society was divided into two divisions Patricians - Small class of wealthy landowners Plebeians - Large class of homeless and unemployed people

Slaves had an impact on the economy… More slaves meant less jobs for poor Roman farmers. Slaves became the backbone of Roman society, doing all of the menial work.

The Gracchi Two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were moved by the desperate state of the plebeians The Gracchus’s came from a wealthy family Father, consul twice Grandfather was Scipio who defeated Hannibal at Zama. Brothers became spokesmen Both became tribunes

The Gracchi Tiberius was tribune from 133 B.C.E to 123 B.C.E. He sought to break up the huge estates accumulated by wealthy patricians and redistribute the land so that the ordinary people could have some too. A senator clubbed him to death with a footstool when he stood for re-election. All of his supporters were also clubbed to death and thrown into the Tiber River

The Gracchi When Gaius became tribune in 123 B.C.E he demanded many things. Allowance to the poor Grain to poor New employment Granting citizenship to all Italians He, too, aroused the wrath of the Senate, and got kicked out of the office He was about to be captured when he ordered his slaves to slit his throat

After the deaths of the Gracchi’s the Senate itself split in two The Optimates were conservative men who wished to keep the government at the status quo (as it was) The Populares on the other hand, were more liberal

The Reforms of Marius Gaius Marius, a member of the Populares, was consul from 107 to 100 B.C.E He was not only consul, he was a plebeian and then became a great hero.

Reforms of Marius, continued He strengthened the army by recruiting unemployed men to be soldiers and promising them a reward after 20 years of service. They would get a piece of land and a pension. He transformed the army into professional fighters who served their general.

The government responded to the need for housing in the overpopulated cities by building low-cost apartments The city of Rome was divided in to blocks called insulae (also known as island). The Tenements

The Tenements, continued Houses were made out of timber and mud brick Flimsy walls often collapsed and fire was a big danger One who started a fire that killed at least one person was sentenced to life in prison or even death Bottom Floor: Running water and shops Top Floor: no plumbing, public lavatory, threw garbage out window, little furniture

Homes of the Wealthy Homes of the wealthy were next to apartments Houses called domus might take up half a block or even a whole block Large rooms, one floor, roof made of clay, Atrium served as a reception area where rain collected in pool Kitchen, living room, library Statues in courtyard in back Patterns on tile are called mosaics on floor; frescos on walls